How can I import my bookmarks from an old version of firefox

After my laptop crashed, I am attempting to retrieve my bookmarks off my old hard drive (which is now an external). Nowhere in any of the package contents or folder locations are there any of the file types mentioned in other articles (.json, .sqlite), and the only profile information I can access leads me to a blank backup which was just created as I opened firefox for the first time. There are no visible backups of my bookmarks ever being automatically saved, as suggested. So, after wasting a large portion of my time trying to do what should be the simplest of procedures, where are the old bookmarks supposedly stored?

After my laptop crashed, I am attempting to retrieve my bookmarks off my old hard drive (which is now an external). Nowhere in any of the package contents or folder locations are there any of the file types mentioned in other articles (.json, .sqlite), and the only profile information I can access leads me to a blank backup which was just created as I opened firefox for the first time. There are no visible backups of my bookmarks ever being automatically saved, as suggested. So, after wasting a large portion of my time trying to do what should be the simplest of procedures, where are the old bookmarks supposedly stored?

Helpful Reply

I'm only personally familiar with Windows, but on Mac OS X you are looking for your old Library folder:

/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles

Once you find that old Profiles folder, you may have one or more profile folders. Check each for a bookmarkbackups folder and copy the most recent JSON file to a more convenient location for restoration.

If the folder is invisible, I see threads on how to unhide it but they don't mean that much to me. Here's an example:

I'm only personally familiar with Windows, but on Mac OS X you are looking for your old Library folder:
/Users/''username''/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles
Once you find that old Profiles folder, you may have one or more profile folders. Check each for a bookmarkbackups folder and copy the most recent JSON file to a more convenient location for restoration.
If the folder is invisible, I see threads on how to unhide it but they don't mean that much to me. Here's an example:
[http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1209701 Unhide Library folder on external HDD - MacRumors Forums]
Any luck?

Question owner

Okay so by default OSX 10.7 and 10.8 hide the user library folder, where this info is stored.

If you need to make that visible you can type the command in terminal:

chflags nohidden ~/Library/

which should make that visible. However because mine was hidden on the external drive that command, and deviations of it using the file pathway, didn't work. Instead you have to type this into terminal:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

then

killall Finder

This will show all of your hidden folders in finder and for any device. However you still won't be able to access that folder through the importing bookmarks menu in firefox, so you'll have to copy the latest backup you want to restore somewhere like the desktop for easy access.

Now there'll be a lot of hidden folders that show up, so you should reset them to being hidden after you've got what you needed by typing the false command back into terminal:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE

killall Finder

Bookmarks recovered. Thanks for your help jscher2000

Okay so by default OSX 10.7 and 10.8 hide the user library folder, where this info is stored.
If you need to make that visible you can type the command in terminal:
chflags nohidden ~/Library/
which should make that visible. However because mine was hidden on the external drive that command, and deviations of it using the file pathway, didn't work. Instead you have to type this into terminal:
''defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE''
then
''killall Finder''
This will show all of your hidden folders in finder and for any device. However you still won't be able to access that folder through the importing bookmarks menu in firefox, so you'll have to copy the latest backup you want to restore somewhere like the desktop for easy access.
Now there'll be a lot of hidden folders that show up, so you should reset them to being hidden after you've got what you needed by typing the false command back into terminal:
''defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE''
''killall Finder''
Bookmarks recovered. Thanks for your help jscher2000

I have Windows XP. The bookmarks file is an html file. Where are the new bookmarks files stored? I have lots of old bookmarks that I collected over years, and I want them to show up in the new system.

I miss the bookmarks manager.

I have Windows XP. The bookmarks file is an html file. Where are the new bookmarks files stored? I have lots of old bookmarks that I collected over years, and I want them to show up in the new system.
I miss the bookmarks manager.

Hi bobfast, the Bookmarks Manager is now called the Library dialog and accessed using Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+b.
I'm not sure where you are in your process. Do you want to create files you can import onto a new system, or do you have a bunch of files you want to import now, reorganize, and then back up??
Here are some articles that might help, depending on which steps are relevant:
* [[Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer]] - best for maintaining full bookmark info, including tags, but this does a full replace of whatever is on the destination system
* [[Import Bookmarks from an HTML file]] - best for adding without displacing what you have
* [[Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks]] - ditto
* [[Use bookmark folders to organize your bookmarks]] - when you import bookmarks, they are placed in a new folder